If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Pregnant? Maybe?

So.... About a month-and-a-half ago I had my Mirena IUD removed because of various unwanted, persistent side effects. When it was removed, I had been experiencing spotting for several months.

I have not lost a single drop of blood since it was removed. The day before I had it removed, I had sex with my husband. Since it was removed we have been having sex with a condom.

I wanted to try natural family planning, but I was waiting for my period to come so I would know my cycles have not come. The thing is my period never came... I am breastfeeding my 19 month old, but mostly at night. I am starting to have some very familiar symptoms, like heavy/painful breasts, frequent urination, and middle-of-the-night hunger pains. I have also had several people ask me if I am pregnant because my stomach is poking out.

I have not taken a test but I am concerned that I may be pregnant. How far-fetched would it be for me to have become pregnant after the IUD was removed from the sperm left over from the previous day's intercourse? Could I have possibly been pregnant when it was removed, even? I know no birth control is concrete...

I don't know what to do you guys. I cannot afford to get a pregnancy test right now, we are completely broke. Also the reason that affording a fifth baby would be so hard for us right now. =(

I have a friend who has 13 children and her husband's job has always been their only source of income. She homeschooled all of their children and learned to cut costs in many areas.

One day, when they were expecting their 5th child, one of the grandparents said to them, "When are you going to stop having children?" The response from the father of the children was, "Which one would you have wanted us not to have?"

That was a beautiful response because it really helped the grandparents to realize that every single child that comes into a family is a blessing and is very precious. The grandparents never questioned again how many children the family would have, and as I mentioned before, they ended up with 13.

This is someone I went to high school with, and they now have grandchildren of their own. A very large family, but God always provided for all their needs... and they always had a meal, clothing and a roof over their heads.

I would encourage you to go to your local Pregnancy Care Center (a pro-life program that most communities offer) and they will do a free pregnancy test for you. This is what I did when I thought I was pregnant with my 2nd child. We didn't have any extra money either, so I just made an appointment at the local Pregnancy Care Center and they did a free test for me. It was positive (I had a feeling I was pregnant).

If the test is positive then you'll probably want to make an appointment with your midwife or doctor and they may be able to give you a general idea of how far along you are. They may also order an ultra-sound which would give you more accurate dates (but you probably already knew that).

If you're not pregnant, then seeing that negative test will put your mind to rest. It just sounds like you really need to know one way or the other because not knowing is making you worry.

As for your question about whether you could have become pregnant with sperm left over, when the IUD was removed... it is possible. I had a friend who had a vaginal check by the doctor, and he asked her how long ago she had had sex. She said 11 days ago, and he was amazed because he found live sperm in her. This isn't typical - typically sperm can last up to 5 days or so in good quality fertile mucus, but it does happen, and if your husband's sperm were really strong and you ovulated a few days or even a week after the IUD was removed, you could have conceived.

And as you know, you could possibly have been pregnant before the IUD was removed as well - so hard to tell.

I'd encourage you to take a test. The dollar stores have 99¢ tests which I've had accurate results with and I think that 99¢ would be worth the peace of mind of knowing what's going on. Even if you are pregnant, you'll be able to start making plans for the little one.

I have lots of ideas on ways you can add another precious blessing to your family without it impacting finances too much.

What kind of insurance do you have? What kind of a birth would you want to have?

Thank you so much for the thorough response. I want to have a birth center or homebirth. The cost would be out of pocket because we do not currently have insurance, yet another issue. I am very involved in the homebirth community, however, as a student midwife so I should be able to get a pretty l lenient payment plan with our CPM. There is also a CPM here who does hospital births, government subsidized insurance would cover that and may be the route we have to take at this point.

I have volunteered at the pro-life pregnancy test center in the past. I feel so embarrassed since I know the women but I may have to go in to get an ultrasound, etc. I feel a lot better after having read your response. My family is not that happy with us. They couldn't believe it when I had my fourth. They are very pro-birth control and pro-hospital birth. I am neither, which causes somewhat of a rift between my mother and I. She never wanted me to have more than one. Here I am possibly having 5!! BUT I also know she will come to love the baby anyway. I know that we all will.

As for saving cash, I breastfeed and make my own baby food. I have cloth nappies and I only buy used clothes. My husband is in school, he is going to be a nurse practitioner and I am studying to be a midwife myself. Right now I work as a doula and do various freelance jobs. We both work from home. I am the breadwinner and have been for the last few years. It is hard, but we will manage. I just know the way people will look at us. It is so stressful.

Thank you so much for your kind words Kate. You have really made me feel so much better about this. I forgot to mention that I bought a .99 test last week and it didn't work, was inconclusive. I just got paid though from one of my many jobs and I am going to stop and get another test today. After that I am just going to chalk the lack of period up to the breastfeeding. I do kind of hope it comes back soon though, if I am not pregnant, as I would really like the peace of mind.

When you pick up another test, would you mind shooting a picture of it (if you can) and uploading it so I can take a look at it? Also, my midwife will give a test a good 30 minutes before reading it, just to be sure it is negative. I had a negative result at the 3-5 minute mark, but a positive pregnancy test at the 30 minute mark once (and I was pregnant, but I did miscarry early).

I would think that your test would be showing a fairly dark line by now and I would pick up another 99¢ test rather than investing in a more expensive test. See if you can get one with a good expiration date (not expired). Expired tests work just fine and often the pro-life pregnancy care centers will actually use these because they have been donated, but if you want one that will give you the best result, then a non-expired test would be better. Again, both should work, though.

I didn't save the test but I am actually thinking I may take yet another one today. I can't believe it has been two months since I put this out there. It seems so strange to me that I am still not having a period. It should feel wonderful, but instead I feel a bit broken.

I wonder if the "B" vitamin, Inositol, would help lift your spirits. I remember when my body wasn't producing enough of the "feel good" hormone, and just thinking about getting pregnant again seemed overwhelming. I took large amounts of Inositol for a few months and then I quit because I felt so much better. When I look back on all of that, I realize that the reason I felt like I wouldn't be able to cope with another pregnancy and baby was because... in general... I was having a hard time coping with a lot of things, and it was a chemical imbalance within my system.